About Us

The first spark of creativity came from Antonio Galanti, born in 1855 in Mondaino, Italy. He had a love and deep passion for music, but also an inherent need to support his family. As he traveled to the country fairs with his merry-go-round, he realized that an essential element was missing: music.

As he journeyed to and from the country fairs, Antonio had an idea that would shape his future and that of his family for years to come. That idea was music… but music of a different kind. Antonio invented the music himself, along with the instrument to play it, and in 1890 the first Galanti accordion was produced.

With its strong, clear tones and the lively atmosphere of entertainment that it created, the first Galanti accordion rapidly gained popularity. Antonio was asked so often to sell his instrument that he decided to manufacture more!

Each production of the accordion was better than the last and finally a business was born. As the second generation took over the business, it continued to grow and flourish. A modern factory was built, increasing the unit volume and paving the way for the accordion to be exported.

A factory subsidiary, Galanti Brothers, was then founded in New York to sell accordions to the sizable Italian immigrant community that was developing, now known as “Little Italy.”  

The third generation transitioned to operating the company in the 1950’s. Perry Galanti, one of three brothers from the third generation, began working in NY at the Galanti Brothers distribution company with his uncle.

And while the accordion brought many memories to the community and music industry, the accordion began to lose popularity in the 1960’s with the rise of the guitar and rock bands.

Rather than continue on this course, the company began to steer into other areas and a new legacy was established.

The company shifted from manufacturing only accordions to a multitude of musical instruments including guitars, home organs, church organs, keyboards, amplification, and acoustic pianos.

The Viscount and Schulze Pollmann companies, which can be viewed on the home page, are still owned and operated by fourth and fifth generation Galantis in Italy.  

In 1981, North American Music Inc. was founded by Gary Galanti, fourth generation. His goal was to distribute home organs built by his extended family in Italy.

Over the next several years, North American Music Inc. distributed many of the products built by the Galanti family and still does to this day. By 1984, Gary Galanti saw a need to expand and entered into the acoustic piano business, distributing various piano brands in North America.

Throughout the next 40 years, North American Music Inc. grew to become the largest, independent musical distribution company in the United States, and continues to distribute the products listed on our home page.

After more than 40 years, Gary Galanti felt that it was time to keep tradition alive and pass the distribution operation on to his son, Gregory Galanti, fifth generation, who leads the company today.

The Galanti Family history is full of memories, discoveries, collections, and events that have shaped their current business. Over the five generations of the Galanti family narrative, since the first accordion was created in the late 1800’s, many recognizable themes can be distinguished.

Perseverance, inventiveness, and adaptability are traits that are challenging to carry forward for over 130 years. In the current era of large corporate companies, the Galanti Family is extremely proud of what they have accomplished to date and their continued success as a family owned and operated business.